Orchestral MUSIC

feed (2018)

Scheduled for premiere: April 23rd, 2018, Alice Tully Hall.

***Recording, coming soon!***

'Feed' is a piece of music that reflects on the agitation caused by the constant influx of data in today's social media driven culture. Across the whole piece, a single musical idea is developed, growing longer and longer, but is constantly interrupted and imposed upon by chattering and intrusive orchestral episodes. A few of these episodes even depict the feeling of an endlessly scrolling screen, using an auditory illusion called a shepherd tone. The orchestra ends up in a sort of conversation with itself about whether or not to give its attention to these musical distractions, at times lashing out aggressively to put a stop to them, and at others easing back into the comfort and familiarity of the theme that acts as the backbone of the piece. In addition to the more standard orchestral instrumentation, 'Feed' has a prominent part for drum set. It creates a frantic energy in places, helping to distinguish the main musical ideas from the interrupting episodes, and propelling the music forward in others. It's a sound I've wanted to pair with the orchestra for a while now, since it is so versatile and so ingrained in our collective ear.